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This April, the Wong Lab is taking on a challenge: exercising 30 minutes for 30 days and raising funds for Women at the Well. 💪💪 Good luck team! Please post your photos and reflections on the challenge here. Do be aware that this is a public page and anyone can view what you upload.

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Took a lovely walk down Regent's canal today and ended it with enjoying my new book on the grass. The weather has been so nice these days! Excited to make a start on #30for30 :)

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I wanted to kick off this challenge with my favourite movement-based activity: bouldering! Bouldering is climbing without ropes on walls up to 4.5m high, with a soft crash mat underneath. I have been climbing for around 2 years, starting during my Masters when I worked part time at a climbing centre. Climbing got under my skin (and ruined my skin!) and has stayed there since. Climbing is like a three dimensional puzzle, with the puzzles pieces being your body and your brain is the hand that places them there. Or the puzzle pieces are the holds and your hands and feet fit the puzzle together. I’m not sure where I was going with this simile, but I love to climb. Oh, and don’t be taken in by the idea that you need strong arms to climb - it’s all in the fingers. I still can’t do a press-up! If you have never climbed before but would like to try, message me! I have taken first dates who cannot fall off walls due to torn ACLs, and facilitated climbing physical rehab for my friend who suffered a brain stem stroke. You will be in good hands, I promise

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Kicking off this year's '30 for 30' with a brisk lunch walk - this was the only time I could fit in any movement away from my desk today apart from my commute. Luckily, the views were amazing despite the the strong winds by the river (and I was still wrapped in a thick scarf!). Because of #30for30, I made an effort to take in this view and to see all the wonderful relaxed faces of everyone else enjoying spring in London.

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Had a great time in the park today playing frisbee with an old friend. Managed to capture this exquisite photo of a pigeon flying just in front of me. London pigeons really have no fear. Anyways, tangent over, was a little hard with the wind today but still managed to play some good fris. Feels very meditative watching the frisbee glide toward its target, though my accuracy really needs some work - one of my throw went a bit rogue and knocked someones beer over. Plenty more frisbee to be had!

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Walk with Oliver 🐶 & stretching before bed 😴

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Walk with Oliver 🐶 & stretching before bed 😴

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Loving the sunshine we're having recently!! It's so amazing to be able to take my pup, Oliver, for longer walks during the day. I also just finished up 10 minutes of light exercise and stretching before bed, which I find so relaxing and the perfect way to reflect on and end my day :)

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Classic hybrid gym workout… a bit of battle rope, box jump burpees, wall balls & pushups ! I had come back from a Hyrox race this March but wanted to keep up the training. If anyone hasn’t heard of Hyrox search it up it’s super fun!!

I was wondering whether I could capture a photo of Fran and I mid push up so here it is :))

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Joined the school run this morning to get some movement in before work. Need to go earlier from now on as it got super busy. Was helpful to catch up with Ros whilst out to show her the cherry blooming cherry trees in the neighbourhood 🌸 . Reminds me of Asia/Japan!

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Scary foot slip on this climb I was working on! normal sized ros huge wall 

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Working in a climbing gym (as I do) means I have the luxury of free entry at every climbing wall in London. And so, I could not resist heading to this wall in Wandsworth for a lunchtime climb. A departure from my usual bouldering, this wall has rope climbing and autobelays. This means you can climb much higher than in bouldering, and works stamina and endurance rather than explosive power. The autobelays catch you if you fall, but there is a moment of free falling before the seatbelt-like mechanism kicks in. I think it’s good to be scared at least once a week. If you climb to the top and complete the climb, you then have to fight all your instincts screaming at you not to let go. You must let go, and trust that you will get caught. I was also delighted to find a slackline in the gym, something I have never tried before. Slacklines require absolute focus on a spot in the distance. Any mind wandering, even for a split second, and you will topple off. Like an obedient robot, I fell off, got back on, fell off and got back on upwards of 100 times. Heed my warning, do not try unless you too want to get sucked into a slackline portal where time means nothing and the only thing that matters is that spot on the wall in front of you.

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Was enjoying the sun so much during my morning run that I forgot to take a photo 😅 But Hampstead heath was glorious this morning! I didn’t have much time before starting work but really nice to get a 30 minute run in the morning and enjoy the incredible weather. I’ve forgotten how much happier I am in good weather!

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Was enjoying the sun so much during my morning run that I forgot to take a photo 😅 But Hampstead heath was glorious this morning! I didn’t have much time before starting work but really nice to get a 30 minute run in the morning and enjoy the incredible weather. I’ve forgotten how much happier I am in good weather!

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Today I did a 5 pm Pilates class at FRAME but it was still light out when I got done ☺️ Thank goodness for spring! Got a pic of the empty studio once everyone departed. My goal is to do at least 5 classes a week to really use my membership and smash #30for30 of course! If anyone wants to join I can invite one guest for free this month and they also do 5 pound classes sometimes. Pilates is lovely because you get time to reflect while staring on the ceiling and doing funny leg movements. No distractions- you can really think back on how your day went or in my case what I was going to have for dinner 💭🤔

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Nice run along Regents canal today! Even got to see a boat move between different parts of canal where the lock drops off between levels. It was fascinating to see how quickly they are able to drain the water as they move the boat down to the next section - have always wondered how they did that. It was quite a bit busier than usual so probably should have opted for a park run. Bit it was awesome to see the arrival of spring along the canal and I even nearly clocked in a PB 5k. Hope you are all enjoying the sun!

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12K steps around Bloomsbury today. Too much to fit in one day but at least I got to meet colleagues outdoors today. Even spent some time in the park with a quick lunch from the farmer's market.

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Did a rebounding class where you bounce on mini trampolines and copy the instructors moves. Super fun but tiring!

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Cycled and walked around the city of Milan yesterday and today. Very flat city. Feels like summer with everyone out and about. Lots of gorgeous looking peoplr as everyone is so well dressed here even though they're just going about their daily lives. Have already had some delicious sandwiches and pasta, though I've had to restrain myself over the 🍰s as im still doing Lent. It has been really tough. No gelato, tiramisu, coffee, chocolate... Will repeat the pasta routine over the weekend!

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Lower body workout (pushing the buggy) and arms (carrying a toddler) 

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Lower body workout (pushing the buggy) and arms (carrying a toddler) 

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The sweetest day looking after my cousin’s child. Lots of steps to the park and back. Additional arm workout after I (overly confident in her newly found walking abilities) didn’t take the buggy out with us and had to carry her back. Lesson learnt, we strolled down to George lane in South Woodford for a coffee with buggy in tow. Shaded from the sun, she napped while I caught up on some emails and sipped a flat white while breathing in the fresh air of the East London suburbs.

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8:30am start to the Milan Marathon. When the husband does the Marathon, I do 20K steps. Great weather. Inspirational runners from over 100 countries. Great vibes. Now a quick shower and relax with some aperitifs! 😀 ☀️ 🇮🇹 🍸

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Am definitely running out of things to say since I just do the same exercise everyday but proud that I hit and surpassed my class goal this week! Did a Pilates class today and yesterday with a friend. Was nice to do it with someone else and teach them the ropes (or springs!)

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Went on a fabulous day trip outside of the city to soak up the sun! The view at the top was stunning 🤩

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Back home in the countryside among the fields. Spring this year is relentless. Havent seen a cloud in over a week. Been making the most of it this time with some hill sprints. Seemed like the right physical activity to do on this enormous hill. That said, would also have been good to have played some frisbee! Hope you are all enjoying a nice break!

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Slowly getting back into the 5Ks 🏃‍♀️ followed by easy stretches. Still can't put my body's weight on my right wrist BUT really grateful that some of the movmwnt is coming back steadily. Eight weeks on, I'm told by the doctor that I still need to rest for another 4 weeks for full recovery. Hoping the month of April will mark my path to full recovery..!

P.S. If anyone needs some motivation to exercise Strava has some good 'badges' :)

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Completely forgot about Padlet but back again!! Last few days have just been a mixture of running & gym - wall balls and battle rope pictured here! I haven’t booked another Hyrox for the year yet but really enjoy hybrid strength/cardio workouts. But more motivated to run outside now with such good weather!! If I remember at some point running will actually get a photo of the beautiful Hampstead where I normally run :))

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This style of climbing is called slab, and is when the wall is angled away from you, instead of towards you. These kinds of climbs often don’t involve your hands at all, and require balance, precision and trusting your feet. In this slab climb, I need to get to the pink hold at the top just using my legs balanced on small and slippery foot holds (i.e. you cannot pull yourself up with your arms!). At first, I tried just pushing myself up from the foothold (like a pistol squat), but the deep squat made this way too difficult. My friend Sarah had a go, and instead tried this method of twisting her back leg behind her to find the foothold, and pushed herself up with two legs - much easier! When climbing, you often have to think of creative ways that suit your body and style of climbing and this is a great representation of that!

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Have been keeping consistent with classes this week but not as consistent with Padlet! 😅 My random reflection is that a great playlist is super important while exercising. I often find myself running out of steam but then hear a song I like and get re-energised to continue.

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Averaging 10k+ steps a day. 9 days and counting..!

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Averaging 10k+ steps a day. 9 days and counting..!

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Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to take stock of our achievements. Today marks 9 days of continuous steps of 10K+ or more. The highest was 32K+ (!). I think the Grmin probably thought it was stolen by someone else at this point as that is super unusual for me to move so much.

Looking forward to some gym/yoga this weekend! 💪 🧘‍♀️

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Did a dance workshop today! Although I’m not much of a dancer (I tend to forget the moves!) it felt good to push myself out of my comfort zone. Had a lot of fun trying to nail the routine over two hours.

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Went on a 15km bike ride yesterday. Stopped in on a goat farm about halfway through. In the hilly terrain, it was the perfect respite. Turns out baby goats (called kids) are super cute.

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Have you noticed all the cherry trees in full bloom? I've been seeing alot of them as I swap my gym sessions with time outdoors. Did some burpees, squats, and short sprints in the park. They're absolutely gorgeous. Wish I could preserve this!

P.S. I thought it was a good idea to grab a handful of petals, but not pictured is how wet they were due to the rain!

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Getting some movement in this morning with my usual 5K 🏃‍♀️ followed by weights in the gym + stroll + cinnamon latte from my favourite truck. Feeling good with lots of energy. Plan on making some banana bread later (hope it'll be good). Wishing everyone a great start to a restful Easter weekend. End of April is nearing..let's finish strong together! ❤️ 💪 🌼 🌸

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3 days of consecutive park runs! Really enjoying the end of the day sunset runs at the moment! Let’s keep going guys, only 8 days left!

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Got 6 classes done this week 💪💪 here’s to finishing #30for30 strong!

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Did a post work walk only to stop for this 💎 of a photo 🐕. 🐕. Pretty sure they were waiting for their owners...but perhaps it's the nice smells inside Tesco (?)...or if it was hotter I would've guessed it's the air-conditioning. Anyhow, this made me smile and I hope it makes you smile too! #10KSteps

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Super busy at work today so this run was extra challenging. Luckily I saw plenty of beautiful scenes along the way to help motivate me (including a little schnauzer perched at the back of a motor cycle really enjoying the ride!). Now time for some healthy dinner.

Happy Thursday! 💪 ❤️ 💙

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Hello all! After 3 years in London, I’ve finally made it to Richmond park! It’s spectacular, never been in a park that feels so abundant with nature. Incredible study breast, and even better to catch site of so many deer!